Located four hours north of San Francisco, the Redwood Coast spans 282 km and is home to 2,000-year-old forest where sentinels stand as tall as 20 storeys high.

For the eighth year in a row, Lonely Planet’s in-house editors, researchers and correspondents compiled a list of what they deemed to be the most compelling destinations to visit in the year ahead.

“These are the places American travellers should know about in 2018,” said Lonely Planet US managing editor Alexander Howard.

“...Some of them are cities on the rise, or that challenge our expectations, while others offer unique experiences you can’t find anywhere else.”

At the top of their selection this year are the ancient woodlands of California, which have played supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters like Jurassic Park, ET and Star Wars films, and in 2018 mark its 50th anniversary as a national park.

Likewise, Save the Redwoods League, which works to protect and restore the national parkland, marks its centennial anniversary in 2018. To mark the double anniversary, the league is offering free entry to more than 40 redwood state parks, every second Saturday of each month.

Rounding out the top three spots are Boise, Idaho, capital of the fastest-growing state in the US, and home to dynamic wineries, breweries and festivals, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, described as a “bastion of elevated Southern living.”

Here are the top 10 US destinations and a teaser on why they were chosen: